Legions of Darkness 4: The Silence Of Victory
by OmegaKnight
Summary: The Cornerians and Venomians clash, and "Project Lotus" goes public.


STARFOX: LEGIONS OF DARKNESS  
PART FOUR: THE SILENCE OF VICTORY  
BY OMEGAKNIGHT  
  
  
*As part three ended, Wolf had betrayed StarFox and turned Fox over to Andross. Meanwhile, the remaining members met with their old counterpart, Bill Grey, to create an armada to save Fox and conquer Venom for good. At the same time, Fox had escaped after mauling Wolf and had uncovered a document, something entitled "Project Lotus"...  
  
Fox sat back in his room in the Corneria Air Defense Bunker alone with a warm glass of ale. The past few days events had been terribly frightening, and his nights were worse. It had been two days since he had escaped from the Imperial Palace on Venom, but the terror wasn't over. He was still having recurrent nightmares, followed by a small period of hysteria, due to the radiation from the transmission tower. It was all he could do to keep himself from going mad.  
"Hey, Fox. Feeling better?" Falco asked as he stepped into his commander's room.  
"Yeah, I think. Just a little queasy," Fox told the young avian.   
"Peppy's ordered a rendevous with the Great Fox at 0800 tomorrow. Are you up to it?" the brash young pilot asked  
"Yeah, just if I could only get a good nights sleep." he answered.  
"Well take it easy. That med the doctor gave you should knock you out for a few hours. He said not even Andross' tower could wake you up."  
  
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" the angry emperor asked Wolf.  
"I said he escaped. Not only did he trash the throne room and me along with it, he hacked into your private files and stole something called 'Project Lotus.' I guess it's something that has to do with some prototype fighter." the traitorous pilot replied.  
"No my dear boy, 'Project Lotus' is a Class A top secret document. You must retrieve that document at all costs!" Andross shouted at the pilot. "Now get the hell out of here!!" The clone knew that if that information got public, Venom would be the laughing stock of the galaxy.  
Wolf went into his private hangar where the rest of his team was assembled. Pigma, Leon, and Andrew all awaited his orders.  
"Boys, we have our next mission. It seems when Fox left here, he took a Class A document known as 'Project Lotus.' It is our top priority to obtain that document. Get to your ships. I have a readout onboard," Wolf ordered.  
"Sorry boss. No can do. It seems that StarFox has assembled a great armada, and is headed for Venom this minute," Leon shakily replied.  
"Well, what do you think we should do?" Wolf sarcastically asked Leon.  
"I guess we could call our forces and meet them before they reach Venom. That might work," Pigma replied.  
"EXACTLY! Now get your lazy butts off the ground and get the troops assembled!" Wolf ordered as he stormed off to his bedchambers.  
"Wow. That guy's touchy today," Andrew noticed.  
"Yeah. Exactily why we should get to work!"  
  
The Great Fox spirited off the launch pad on Corneria, followed by their powerful Cornerian Defense Fleet. Fox seemigly had a good night's rest, because he was lighthearted and ready to fight.  
"Hey buddy. Feelin' better?" Bill Grey asked his old friend.  
"You betcha Bill. I'm ready to give those guys what for! But first, there's a meeting of all the pilots in the Conference Chamber. I've got something big to let you all know." He answered back. "Project Lotus" was still his little secret, but it wouldn't be for long. The two friends headed towards the conference laughing and talking all the way.  
Upon entering the room, it was obvious who would be commanding the operation. Fox took his place at the head of the table and began to address his fleet.  
"Pilots of the Cornerian Republic, my own pilots for StarFox, and our civilian friends who will be joining us for this operation, I welcome you to my Flagship. But there is no time for civilities. We have an important mission to accomplish. It seems that Andross has returned. But do not be fooled. For while I was a 'guest' in the palace, I uncovered a document entitled 'Project Lotus.' It seems that two weeks before he was killed, Andross had a clone made, and he was made to direct specifications that if something was to happen to Andross, then he would take up where the original left off. This copy is more brutal and deadly than the original, and must be stopped immediately. Here's our objectives: 1. Attack the Imperial Palace and destroy any military hangars;  
2. Destroy the Resonance Tower set up on the roof of the palace; 3. Kill the Andross copy."  
The rest of the room was silent at this new revelation. But they had a duty. And this one was a tough one.  
"Fox! ROB is reporting there's a Venomian Interceptor Division moving on radar!" Slippy shouted over the intercom.  
"Well, boys? What are we waiting for?!"  
  
Wolf sat in the spear-shaped fighter at the front of the Interceptor division. They had the Great Fox on radar, along with another 20-some Cornerian Defense cruisers. Apparantly the Cornerians were on to them, because ships began pouring out everywhere. Energy readings showed that the cruisers were at full armor and weaponry, and they were ready. "Stay in formation. Keep tight, don't let anything through. Take no prisoners," Wolf ordered his pilots. StarWolf broke off from the rest of the Venomians, and headed for the four Arwings in the distance. That's when all hell broke lose.  
"OK guys here they come. My guys, stay with me. Bill, keep your men together. Charge the front lines," Fox ordered. Bill returned an affirmative reply and StarFox also broke away.  
"OK guys, keep in tight diamond formation, and attempt to pierce their fronts. Blow them to pieces," Fox told his mercenary pilots. Slippy, who was at the back of the formation, dropped down and shot past Fox.  
"Slippy? What are you doing?" Peppy asked the brash technician.  
"Don't worry. I'm testing a new bomb!" Slippy shouted. He pushed a key on his control stick, and a bluish green blur flew from the bomb hatch. It connected with a Venomian Honor Guard ship that was escorting StarWolf. The ship burst into flames, and disinigrated to nothing.  
"Wow Slip! That thing's awesome!" Falco exclaimed.  
"Well, that's all I have. I olny loaded one!" Slippy cried, realizing a dumb mistake.  
"It's ok. Just close back up. They're coming." Fox stated. He slipped behind Leon, opened fire on Leon's ship, and a cry came out. Black smoke started flowing from the hull of his ship. Fox had destroyed his G-Diffuser unit.  
"My diffuser has closed up!!" Leon screamed as his ship fell into the black abyss of space.  
"One down, Wolf," Pigma reported. "We also lost the guard fighter. Some strange ion bomb."  
"Intensify shielding. Regroup. Intensify fire on the enemy. GO GO GO!!" Wolf frantically ordered. There was no way that he was going to lose again. He broke formation and dropped in behind Fox. He began spitting laser fire any which way he could, trying to destroy Fox's shielding module.  
Fox, who wisened up to Wolf's manuvers, rolled out of danger, flipped, and spun around to face Wolf. Both of the ships charged each other, and right before contact, Fox spun below Wolf and dropped in right behind him. He opened fire, and a sheet of metal blew off of Wolf's exterior wing.  
"Blast! I'm hit! All ships, regroup. Spear-head their formation. Blow every last one of them to oblvion!!" Wolf screamed to his fighters. Pigma and Andrew dropped as Wolf's wingmen, but Peppy slipped right behind Pigma, unnoticed.  
"This is for James, you pig!" Peppy shouted as he opened a salvo of laser fire on Pigma's exhaust unit. Several of the blasts entered the pipes, and blasted the engine all to pieces. The pig squealed as he lost all power.  
"You'll pay for that one, Hare!" Pigma shouted as his fighter joined Leon's in the dark oblivion of space.  
"2 left Fox. What now?" Falco asked as he regrouped with his fellow teammates.  
"Just a minute. ROB, what's up with the battle near you?" Fox asked his flyer droid aboard the Great Fox.  
"Cornerian fighters outnumbered by Venomians 2/1. Casualties are heavy. We are not well, sir." the droid answered in a monotonious voice.  
"Great. Bill and his boys are letting down. OK guys. Two to a enemy. Peppy, you and I will take Wolf. Slippy and Falco, you guys are on Andrew. Let's move on, guys," Fox ordered, as the four split into two.  
Wolf saw Fox's tactics, as the two arwings dropped into formation behind him. Heavy blue laser fire began screeching against his hull. "Andrew, begin evasives quickly. We have to rejoin the main group." The two spear-shaped enemy fighters headed towards the main battle.  
"We've beat them, boss!" Slippy shouted with joy.  
"Not yet. Bill and his boys on the main front need help."  
  
Bill knew the situation looked grim. He had lost many men, but he had to help. If he didn't Venom could conquer Corneria for good. As he looked to portside, he saw two of StarWolf's ships, both blasted all to heck. He began to laugh, and started to laugh harder when he saw the four arwings following closely, hardly a scratch on them.  
"Need some help, Bill?" Fox asked as he slid into formation.  
"You betcha buddy. They got us beat. Time to pull back," Bill said sadly.  
"Not yet. Have all fighters pull back, and hide behind our cruisers. When the Venomians charge the cruisers, our fighters will pull back out, our reserve fighters will launch, and our cruisers will open fire!" Fox said enthusiastically. "The old Spear Gamble."  
"Great idea, Fox. Commander Grey to all Cornerian units, pull back to cruisers."  
  
Wolf watched as the Cornerians retreated. Also, the cruisers firepower was down substantially. This was his chance for sure.  
"All Venomian fighters, charge!!" He ordered through his transponder. His men began to charge the cruisers, when bright laser fire shot down a good many of them. That's when Wolf noticed the battered Cornerians along with their reserves began to attack. And Fox led the charge.  
  
"OK. I think we've evened the odds. Continue the cruiser fire, and we'll charge." Fox said, right before he noticed that he lost his exterior shield module.  
"I told you Fox. It's sooooooo much sweeter," Wolf told Fox.  
"I warned you, Wolf." Fox turned around his fighter, and began blasting away at Wolf's hull. Wolf answered back with a salvo of his own, sending bright red fire against Fox's left wing. The wing fell off, paralyzing Fox's handling.  
"Peppy! I've lost my left stabilizer. I need help!" Fox shouted to his guys, but it was no good. Peppy was in for repairs.  
"Dammit! OK. No more Mr. nice fox," Fox muttered as he slipped behind Wolf.  
Fox pressed a key, and a red nova bomb released.  
"Bye, Wolf." Fox left, and Wolf joined the rest of his team (Slippy trashed Andrew on the main front) in dark oblivion.  
  
EPILOGUE  
  
Fox stood alone outside the Cornerian hangar. It had been two days since the great battle, and the Cornerians came out on top. The tower had been destroyed along with the Imperial Palace, and the Andross clone was nowhere to be seen. He felt good, for once in a few weeks.  
"Hi Fox. How ya feelin'?" General Pepper asked as he stepped outside.  
"Better, but ready for a vacation." he answered.  
"Well, nobody's deserved it more. Where do you plan to go?" he asked again.  
"My old childhood home. You know, the old farm?"  
"Oh yes. I remember. James spoke of it so fondly."  
"Yep. I think a little time in the country will do me some good."  
"Yep." was all Pepper answered as he went back inside. Fox looked to the sky. The citizens were still celebrating victory, and the pilots were being mobbed by fans. But it wasn't for him. Nope. Not for him.  
  
  
  
THE END  
  
authors note: Thanks to my loyal readers! This is the last part, but I may write about "Project Lotus". I'm not for sure yet. Hope you enjoyed my series!  
  
OMEGAKNIGHT  
  



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